The sexual content in this chapter has been edited to comply with 's terms and conditions. To read it in its original form you may search for the story First We Were Friends by SJSmith56 on either Wattpad or AO3.
When it was time to leave for the bar Janey insisted she had to drive. Bucky protested but both she and Julia stood firm so he reluctantly handed over the truck keys. That wasn't the end of it as Julia brought out two sets of eye masks and told the men to put them on. The fact they were black lace slightly triggered Bucky and Julia had to kiss him several times while making doe eyes at him.
"You can't see until we're inside the bar," she insisted. "Please, just do this for me?"
"Fine," said Bucky, who jammed the eye mask on.
Julia kissed him once more and stroked his clean shaven cheek which he had surprised her with when he came out of the house. Then she helped him into the back seat and locked his seat belt, kissing him again. Sam, intrigued, had already put the mask on and allowed Janey to belt him into the other side of the back seat. Soon they were on their way with Janey chuckling at Bucky every time he told her to slow down. By the time they got to the bar Janey and Julia were finding it hard to keep from laughing outright at Bucky but they knew he wouldn't handle it well so restricted themselves to smiling at each other instead. As they pulled up into the parking lot the two men could hear the sounds of many people, laughing and talking loudly. As soon as the truck doors were opened everyone stopped talking except for a single woman's voice.
"Janey!" said a woman loudly. "My God, look at you! You look fantastic." Bucky and Sam heard the sound of both women hugging each other.
"Penny, these two handsome blindfolded gentlemen are Bucky Barnes, Julia's boyfriend now, officially," said Janey, "and Captain America, Sam Wilson. Gentlemen, this is one of my oldest friends Penny Matthews. We'll just put my bag in Penny's car and then we'll go inside."
Julia took Bucky's arm while Janey took Sam's arm and led them into the bar, telling them when there were steps then leading them past what must have been a fully packed house before they were led up onto another step. Only then were the eye masks removed and they both realized, according to the banner strung across the wall of the bar, that they were the guests of honour. Julia, who had put her arms through both men's arms so they wouldn't try to escape looked up at Bucky. At first, he didn't know whether to be annoyed or not but when he saw how she looked at him his heart softened and he kissed her on the top of her head. Penny, who they recognized by her voice, had taken the microphone and started speaking.
"Good evening, everyone," she said in greeting. "Welcome to a little gathering in appreciation for two of the Avengers who have been vacationing in our area, while the Johnsons got some free labour from them." There was laughter at that remark. "More importantly we wish to thank these two men for their actions of a few nights ago at the scene of a very scary accident on the highway to Reno. Bucky here raised the alarm and while he drove the highway looking for the vehicle Sam donned his Captain America wings and flew below the highway looking for signs of three young ladies very dear to our hearts, Trish, my niece Rhiannon, and Julia, who is well enough to join us tonight."
"You don't have to do this," protested Sam. "We don't do what we do for recognition."
"We know," said Penny, placing her hand on Sam's arm, "but we think you need to hear it every so often. If you two weren't here, and didn't listen to your own inner alarm bell, things could have turned out so much differently. So tonight your money is no good, whatever is on the menu is yours, and due to a little bit of intelligence given us by someone who has become good friends with both of you we have set the musical theme as Motown night. Lastly, we want to welcome the newest member of our community, Bucky Barnes. In the days you have been here you've fallen for a young woman who has always been loved by everyone here, whether local or summer folk as she has history with both. Julia is special in so many ways and we're thrilled that you two have found each other. So eat well everyone, drink responsibly, and have a great time!"
There was a great cheer from the crowd and the party left the stage for their special reserved table which would give them the best view of the band. A beer was put into both Bucky's and Sam's hands, while a cocktail was placed in front of Julia. Janey and Penny sat with them at the big table. While the wait staff brought the food menus the band began to play, prompting Sam to laugh as they played the first official Motown hit, Come to Me, from 1959.
"You and Janey planned all this in a day?" asked Bucky, lowering his mouth to Julia's ear.
"Pretty much," replied Julia. "Other people jumped on it as well. The band had a large Motown set list already. Is this okay?"
"Sweetheart, this is perfect," said Bucky, kissing her ear. "I want all the slow songs reserved with you."
She looked up at him and he wanted to kiss her right then, so intense was the emotion he felt. It caught him by surprise and he felt a moment of panic which she recognized.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her face full of concern.
"Can we go outside?" He could feel the emotion pressing on him again. "I need air."
She pushed her chair back at the same time as he did. Sam looked at Bucky, as he too, recognized the signs of an impending anxiety attack. He started to push his chair back to follow them but Janey put her hand on his arm.
"They need to be able to support each other," she said. "Let them sort it out."
Outside, Bucky walked through the parking lot pulling Julia by the hand, looking for someplace away from the noise and the people. They walked without speaking towards the lake and finally found a bench in the darkness. Together they sat, Bucky still clasping her hand as he looked down at the ground. Julia watched him intently before he finally raised his eyes to hers. Even in the dark she could see how full of emotion he was.
"Bucky, tell me what you're feeling," she said softly.
"I'm overwhelmed," he admitted. "You looked at me and it just set off an emotion in me that startled me." He looked out over the lake for a moment then back at her. "Before the war I never felt this way. So I have no experience in dealing with it."
"Dealing with what?" she asked quietly. "I know something is bothering you but I can't figure out what it is."
"How much I love you," he said simply. "It's not a bother, but it is intense, and I don't know how to handle what I'm feeling."
"Then say it again," she suggested earnestly. "When I was growing up I had all sorts of fears that would lock themselves into my brain and make me do weird things, weird OCD things. My parents taught me to always voice them, over and over again until I wasn't afraid of the words anymore. Once the words lost their power my OCD receded. I know love isn't a fear but if it brings up such strong emotions in you then maybe you need to get used to saying it and feeling it."
In the dark her eyes were luminous with large dark pupils, and he looked into them as if searching for an anchor point. When she caressed his face he leaned into her soft cool hand finding the courage to say the words.
"I love you, Julia," he declared with a loud breath. "You've become a part of me so easily that it feels like you infiltrated me from the beginning. You got under my defences and now I don't know what to do next. It's a new thing for me, thinking of myself in terms of us. It just hit me like a ton of bricks."
He took in a shaky breath and looked out over the lake again. "Bucky, I love you, too," she whispered. "I went through this last night when you asked if you could stay. I liked you before but when you brought up staying it hit me that there was more happening to us. The Mason thing made me panic and I had to voice my fears before accepting that I could let myself feel something again."
Picking Julia up Bucky put her on his lap and embraced her closely, supporting her with his arms. The smell of her hair reached his senses and he buried his face in her soft curls. When Julia turned her face to his he looked down at the woman in his arms and pressed his lips to hers tenderly. She was caressing his clean shaven face again and this time the sensation aroused him noticeably causing her to giggle slightly.
"You arouse me so easily," he whispered into her ear. "I want a day with you in bed and we do nothing but make love, whisper soft words to each other and break only to eat."
She continued to caress his face as they kissed each other sensuously. When he began to run his hand under her top she put her hand on his arm.
"Not here," she whispered. "Do you have your keys?"
"To the truck?" he asked, surprised. "You want to do it in the truck?"
She giggled again and felt his groin twitch under her. "Yes," she whispered, "but we'll have to take a little drive."
"Okay," he whispered back, then kissed her fiercely. "Let's go."
Quickly they walked back to the parking lot and got into the truck. She directed him to a gravel road and advised him to switch the truck to 4 wheel drive. Twenty minutes later, after a bumpy ride in the dark they came out to a plateau that overlooked Lake Tahoe. Below them was South Tahoe, the lights brilliant in the dark but not as brilliant as the night sky above them. After their trip around Lake Tahoe the previous week Bucky had put a blanket in the back and he laid it out on the back seat before getting into the back with Julia. Immediately she climbed onto his lap, facing him, and began kissing him fiercely as he ran his hands under her shirt before pulling it off of her entirely. Her bra came off next and his mouth was all over her.
"Baby girl, what are you doing to me?" he asked breathlessly as she writhed and ground herself into him, making him very excited.
"Take your shirt off," she ordered and he complied without hesitation.
They kissed again pressing their bodies into each other, both wanting to feel the skin of the other against their own. When Julia pulled away in the dark of the back seat she looked at Bucky before undoing the top of her jeans, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small package.
"I think I'm going to have to get an IUD," she said, waving the package in the air. "I took this on an impulse before we left."
Placing her feet on the floor and bending over him she pulled her jeans off with Bucky's help, then reached down to his jeans, undoing them. Using some contortionist twisting he pulled them off revealing his bulging briefs. He pulled her face to his and thrust his tongue deeply into her mouth, lost in the rush of the moment. Smiling, Julia sat on him again rubbing herself against the large bulge. Both of them groaned at the sensation as they writhed and pressed against each other, using the friction of their skin and underwear to send themselves into a higher state of pleasure. Then Julia pulled away and looked at him again in the dark.
"Lay on your back," she ordered.
"Sweetheart, I'm 6 feet tall," he protested.
"Then bend your knees," she persisted. "I want to be on top."
Her no-nonsense, take-charge tone was different for her and definitely a turn on so he laid on his back, bending his knees as she had ordered. She removed his briefs before removing her own panties in the cramped space. Tearing open the condom package she placed it on him and rolled it down. From his vantage point all he could see was the silhouette of her body with the stars behind her but he didn't care as she slowly eased herself onto him. In later years Bucky would always recall how close he felt to Julia while they made love in the back seat of the truck. The complete freedom she displayed while she directed their tryst was burned into his memories. When she suddenly lowered herself towards him he clasped her tightly aiming himself into her to keep stimulating her. Burying his face in her neck, he kissed and mouthed the sensitive skin of it and the skin just below her ear. Within seconds she gave out a sharp cry then stiffened as she felt her orgasm take root and spread throughout her core then into her legs. Bucky kept pushing up, knowing he was close and he came moments later, holding onto Julia tightly. When he came down from his high he pulled her hair off her face as she lay on his chest.
"I love you, Julia," he whispered emotionally. "I've never felt this close to anyone before."
"I love you, too, Bucky," she answered softly. "I thought I knew what love was before but with you it's so much better." She raised her head, propping it up on her hands clasped together on his chest. "I've never felt so right as I do right now, being held by you."
They laid there for some time touching each other gently until the necessity of removing the condom became evident. Sitting up and reaching behind her Julia opened the back seat door and stepped out nude into the cool night air. The overhead light came on when she did and Bucky grinned as he watched her stretch her body in the darkness then she suddenly ran off into it.
"Hey, where are you going?" he called, as he scrambled to get out of the back seat.
"Bathroom!" she yelled from somewhere on the star-filled plateau, then she laughed.
He stood there in the darkness then went around the front of the truck to pee as he looked around at what he could see of the plateau in the dark. The condom, tied off, was on the hood of the truck and he looked at it in the light spilling out from the truck interior. He would prefer to just throw it away but these days respect for the environment was promoted more than when he was young. Someone would have to hold onto it until they found a garbage can. Turning his back to the truck to look at the starry sky he could hear the sounds of someone walking through the native grasses on the plateau and realized with a chuckle that Julia was trying to sneak up on him.
"I can hear you, you know," he said out loud. "Super soldier hearing. I can hear you coming from my right."
"I'm in the back seat," said Julia, loudly, from behind him, "getting my clothes on. I don't know what you're hearing but it isn't me."
He whirled around, their eyes met and Bucky jumped into the back seat with her, slamming the door shut. They sat in the darkness, her partially dressed, him still naked, watching to see what was in the darkness. Several minutes later there was visible movement to the right of the truck and they could make out the form of a deer. Julia started giggling and Bucky couldn't help but laugh with her. In the dark they kissed again for some time then finished putting their clothes back on. They opened the back doors to switch to the front seats. Turning the key Bucky put the truck in gear and they started back down the bumpy road.
"What is that on the hood?" asked Julia, pointing to an undulating mass on the hood of the truck.
Bucky laughed again. "The condom," he said. "I didn't want to just toss it into the grasses. When we get close to a garbage can I'll get rid of it. You definitely need to get an IUD."
Thirty minutes later they pulled back into the parking lot, into the same spot they had vacated and walked back inside the bar. As they approached the table while holding hands Sam looked at Bucky strangely.
"Where have you two been?" he asked. "Buck, why is your shirt on inside out?"
As soon as he asked it Sam knew the answer, and both he and Janey started laughing. Bucky scowled and pulled his T-shirt off, to the cheers of many in the bar who witnessed the revealing of his muscular body, reversing the garment and putting it back on again.
"Did you go up to the plateau?" asked Janey, knowingly.
Julia blushed but nodded her head, then hugged Bucky around the waist before sitting back down. He glared at Sam but his friend offered him a fist and wouldn't take it away until Bucky bumped it. The couple hadn't eaten before they left so they each ordered a burger and fries, with new drinks coming. As they ate Sam watched them closely for a time before concluding that whatever had been bothering Bucky had been handled well if they ended up having sex. With a start he recollected seeing a blanket in the back seat of the truck and realized that might have to become a staple in his own truck.
"What are you going to do about transportation once you start living here?" he asked Bucky.
"Use Julia's car and my motorcycle until the snow falls," he replied.
"You have a motorcycle?" asked Julia, excitedly. "I've never been on one."
"Well, you'll get your chance," said Bucky, smiling. "I'll get you a helmet and a leather jacket. We'll take a trip around the lake."
A song originally by Smokey Robinson, You've Really Got a Hold on Me, came up and Bucky smiled at Sam then turned to Julia.
"Come on, sweetheart, we have to dance to this one," said Bucky, holding his hand out to her. "This is a song I know."
The tempo was just fast enough that Bucky had to do some dance moves with Julia, twirling her around back and forth. Janey left her chair and took a few pictures of them dancing before sitting back down. They stayed out for two more songs before coming back to the table where a dark haired man was talking to Janey and Sam.
"Bucky, this is Greg who will pick you up for fishing tomorrow," said Julia. "I've known him almost my whole life."
"A pleasure," said Bucky, offering his hand to shake. "This is my friend Sam. He'll be coming as well."
"Janey introduced us. I'll be at the dock at 6 am," he confirmed, then he hugged Julia from the side. "Welcome to the community, Bucky. This one's a keeper."
Julia blushed but she was pleased by the compliment. For the next couple of hours they all danced and drank until they decided to return home in order to get enough sleep before Bucky and Sam went fishing. Janey and Julia embraced lovingly. Then Janey gave Sam a hug and a kiss before turning to Bucky. As they hugged she whispered in his ear.
"I knew there was something happening between you," she said warmly. "It was so evident on your face. You take care of her."
"I will," he replied decisively. "I love her, Janey. You were right all along."
"You're family now," she said as she stepped back. "We'll all probably be back with our kids over the summer, so expect a lot of barbecues."
Bucky smiled then put his arm around Julia. They said their good nights to those who were left and drove back to the house. Julia went to her place while the men went to the Johnson's.
"I'm going to come in and get a change of clothes," said Bucky to Sam as they entered the door code. "If you're up before I get here the tackle is in the shed outside. The key for it is in the kitchen."
A few minutes later he was inside Julia's place and locked the front door. Slipping his boots off he went up the stairs and became aware of soft music emanating from Julia's bedroom. The door was partially open and he pushed it aside to see her sitting on top of the bed, dressed in a white satin nightgown.
"This is what I bought in Reno," she said, "for our second night together. Is it okay?"
After placing his change of clothes on a chair he sat beside her and gently stroked her hair. "It's beautiful," he said softly. "What do you want to do? Sleep or something else, considering I have to be up in 5 hours."
She smiled coyly then put her arms around his neck. "Oh, I want sex," she said, searching his face. "Then I want to sleep in your arms."
Wrapping his large hand in her hair he pulled her face to his and sensuously pressed his lips onto hers before slipping his tongue into her mouth. She whimpered a little when he did and he ran his hands over her body using the silkiness of the nightgown fabric to accentuate the pleasure. Standing by the bed, he took his clothes off one piece at a time, encouraging her to touch him as he was touching her. Her nightgown and his briefs were the last things removed. Picking her up in his arms he laid her back down on the bed, laying beside her, then touching each other prior to their actual joining. He kept pace with the soft music, thrusting firmly as they both mouthed and kissed each other's lips, necks and chests. Their bliss was signalled by Julia calling out first as she arched her back and raised her hips into his. He came quickly once he saw the pleasure on her face and mirrored it with his own. After dispensing with the condom he spooned up behind Julia, kissing her neck, before they both dropped off to sleep.
Bucky's phone alarm woke him at 5:45 am. Lazily he reached over to turn the alarm off then looked down at a stirring Julia.
"Don't get up," he whispered. "Stay in and sleep."
"I promised," she protested.
"I know," he said, "and I'm letting you off the hook. Sleep well, sweetheart."
He kissed her head, got dressed and went downstairs. Julia burrowed herself deeper into the covers and fell back asleep. Some time later in her sleep she felt the light touch of Jasper's paw on her face and she stirred herself awake. He sat on Bucky's pillow staring at her.
"Time for me to get up, is that what you're saying?" she said to the cat, scratching him behind his ear.
Reluctantly she got up, pulled on her nightgown and a robe thinking Jasper was hungry. As she headed barefoot down to the kitchen he didn't follow her down which was puzzling at first.
"Stupid cat," she mumbled, then opened the cupboard to get his food out.
"About time you got up," said a voice which filled her with fear.
Turning around she saw a tall blond man sitting in a corner chair in the living room. "Mason, what are you doing here?" she stammered, as she backed up towards the deck door.
"I came to see you," he replied in a deceptively calm fashion. "Wanted to see how you were holding up after the divorce and losing your contracts."
"You need to leave now," she said, as she got closer to the deck door. "I don't want to talk to you and you can't be here when ..."
"When what?" he asked innocently. "When your man gets back? I know all about him. Hard to miss when he and his buddy make the news for a rescue. Is that why you're with him? He makes you feel safe?"
"I mean it Mason, get out," said Julia, ready to bolt out the door.
"I'll leave," he said casually, as he stood up and slowly approached her. "Just answer me one question. Are you behind whoever's been asking questions about me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, her fear almost paralyzing her.
"So you know nothing about the IA investigation on me?" he asked. "I hope not for your sake. You could get hurt."
Julia bolted out the door and ran outside. Mason ran after her and soon caught up with her on the road in front of the house, grabbing her around her waist and lifting her off the ground. She kicked and screamed out but he kept a firm grip on her and walked back to the deck. Julia kept fighting back but he took no mind of her and carried her inside, throwing her onto the sofa, then slapping her face with the back of his hand for good measure.
"Stay there," he ordered. "You and I are going to have a serious talk."
He sat down opposite from her not saying anything for several minutes. Julia contemplated trying to escape again but he had placed himself between her and the door. In desperation she looked out the window towards the dock then turned to him. "You have one last chance to get out," she said.
"Really?" he said mockingly. "How generous of you."
The deck door opened behind him and Mason turned around to see Bucky and Sam standing just inside the door with their catch. Both men looked menacingly at Mason and for a moment he blanched then he regained his bravado.
"Wow, both of them?" he said, glancing back at Julia. "If I had known you were into threesomes I would have brought a friend while we were married."
Julia ran past Mason who let her go to Bucky. Protectively he put his arm around her, while still glowering at Mason. Then he noticed the bright red mark on Julia's cheek and his glower threatened to explode into fury. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat the shit out of you," he said in a murderous tone.
Mason pulled his jacket back, exposing the shield on his belt and a gun in its holster. Sam carefully put his catch on the counter and moved, facing Bucky to get his attention. Without saying a word he persuaded Bucky to stand down. Although Bucky's breathing remained heavy he relaxed his stance and stepped back, putting his catch on the counter as well. Then both men turned back to Mason and began thinking of a plan to deal with the man.